Ye Olde Training Mission (Drake Shadowstalker)

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Even if he'd never be up to handling anything really state-of-the-art, practice had given the Sith Knight enough skill at piloting to handle something like this. An old transport, unarmed and with only token defense, it had very little in the way of charm or distinguishing features either one. It was a far cry from the TSO ships he and Southstar had normally used on such missions, but he had logged enough hours in simulators to be almost as used to tramp freighters as to Sith couriers. His hands danced across the controls, hesitating here and there as he brought the ship down through a layer of thick clouds and settled clawlike landing gear on bare black rock.

He'd put the Chevalier down on the side of a mountain.

You ready, Drake? His Apprentice was in the back eighty percent of the ship, maybe sleeping, maybe reading, maybe self-training. Probably training. Drake did a lot of that. Not that that was a bad thing...but too much practice and not enough application soon lent itself to the creation of a frustrated, moping, bored-as-all-Korriban creature that couldn't even call itself a Sith Apprentice. Shule was determined not to let that happen to any of his students, Drake least of all.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice heard the distant voice of Olra'en in his mind and it brought him firmly back to reality. The snake-like tendrils that were wrapped around his hand disapeared. He had been practicing his use of Shadow before Olra'en had interupted him. Drake was becoming rather fond of the power that Olra'en had taught him. The darkness that had been created inside of him after the attack fueled his power greatly. The Apprentice wished to test his new power on a living subject that would be effected by it. All in due time, he though briefly to himself.

Drake made his way slowly to the front of the ship. He was wearing light clothes underneath a heavy cloak. The hood of the cloak was pulled over his face and cast it in impenetrable shadow. Deep scars marred nearly every inch of his hidden face. The clunking of his boots reverberated throughout the ship.

Olra'en had completed the landing procedures and was waiting for the Apprentice. Vaguely he wondered what the Sith Knight had planned for the days events. Perhaps a way in which he could demonstrate his growing power. Training was beneficial, but he desired more then that. In his low voice he indicated to Olra'en he was indeed ready.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"You are armed? Other than with the Dark Side, of course?"

Even if he didn't know the full extent of Drake's experimentation with Shadow, for an Apprentice the scarred man had a keen grasp of the destructive aspect of Forcewielding. It shouldn't be long until he was ready to learn actual energy manipulation and so forth, although Shule was slightly apprehensive as to how patiently Drake would progress with such things. Force Lightning would appeal to him, but to get there he'd have to spend a long, long time on the tricks that the Sith Knight was himself only beginning to master; changing temperatures and so forth. Quite a bit of fieldwork would be essential before he could introduce that to Drake; not because of ability, but because he strongly suspected that the Apprentice would find learning to cool a room down quite boring. Still, basic telekinesis, explosions, illusions and Shadow should be more than enough to fill out Drake Shadowstalker's budding arsenal. It was more than Shule himself had had at that stage in his progress as a Sith.

The Sith Knight completed the last power-down sequences, shutting the old transport off to wait for their return. He reached over to the empty copilot's seat and picked up a weapon belt which, standing, he buckled around the waist of the black tunic under his forest-green cloak. On his right hip hung a twenty-four-inch dirk with a fattened handle; on his left, a bowl-hilted rapier and Magor. The back of the belt had two leather pouches containing food pills, water sanitizers, fibercord and a few other things that would come in handy for a protracted field expedition. He scooped up another, larger pouch that contained similar equipment and handed it off to his Apprentice.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice acted as if he didn't hear Olra'en. Was he armed? Such a ridiculous question, he assumed it rhetorical. Drake was not so confident yet as to trust everything to how much he knew of the Force. He carried with him the blade he had used during his first training session with the Sith Knight, Olra'en. Having no weapon he could call his own, it had been necessary to borrow one. It was a short sword with intricate carvings and an elegant blade that lay hidden in a sheath beneath his cloak.

Drake watched wordlessly as Olra'en finished the remainder of powering down the ship. The vessel was far from pleasing to the eye and the Apprentice didn't care much for it. Olra'en buckled his weapon belt around his waist and then handed Drake a large pouch. He pulled back his cloak and dropped it into one of the inside pockets. Drake released his cloak and it shrouded him once more.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

The two Sith proceeded out of the transport and soon found themselves on the edge of a small cliff about fifty metres high. The ground below was level...but it was composed of bare stone.

"If, like a normal Sith of your experience, you decide to venture out into the galaxy for some fun, there is an absolutely essential aspect of physical enhancement that you must learn. This is how to fall.

"Spread your arms and legs to get air resistance, and fill yourself with the Force. Don't consciously use telekinesis to keep yourself aloft; just...float.

"Follow me."

Je'gan leapt off the cliff and began to fall feet-first. It became gradually more clear that he wasn't speeding up.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake felt somewhat compelled to keep his feet planted firmly on solid ground. The Apprentice was confident about his control of the Force. However, a drop of over 100 feet did not appeal to him if he failed and plunged to his death. He glanced farther over the edge and saw the Sith Knight had landed safely at the bottom. He would only be showing weakness if he chose not to follow. Doubt could not be allowed to enter his mind if he was going to succeed as a Sith.

Drake allowed the Force to flow freely through his body. He cleared his mind of any doubt that still lingered there. After taking a deep breath, the Sith Apprentice jumped off the cliff and was surrounded by nothing but air. His arms and legs went out as Olra'en had told him. Slowly he began to make the fall back to the ground. Only during the last few moments of his fall did his speed increase. He landed a little more roughly then Olra'en had, but thought it decent enough for his first try.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He nodded approvingly and moved down the slope of the mountain, angling towards a scree field.

"This is scree," he said, standing on a boulder above the slope covered by splintered chunks of rock. "Ready-made shrapnel. You can create that by simply blowing a rock apart; we both know that. Now we study what to do with what's left after you've made a hard object explode.

"Can you pick up more than one thing with the Force simultaneously?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"Yes, along with practicing my combat, I have devoted some time to telekenesis."

This, "training mission" was not proving to be anything exciting as of yet. Drake, however, would have to learn to endure the boring parts if he were ever going to be taught advanced techniques.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He withdrew along the edge of the scree field.

"Use the shrapnel, as much of it as you can handle at once. Try to take me out. Look for weak spots - everyone has'em."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Apprentice sighed inwardly and had to bite his tongue. Drake targetted three pieces of the shrapnel and levitated them simultaneously. They were small and didn't take much effort. Violently he flung them towards Olra'en, each one aiming towards a different part of his body.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"You don't seem to have your heart in this exercise, Drake."

The three rocks stopped in midair and dropped, even as a minor cloud of debris came Drake's way.

"That could get you killed. Think fast. And do try to care."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Apprentice held up his hand and pushed out with the Force. The debris stopped and hung in mid-air. Drake lowered his hand and it fell back down to the ground. Concentrating on 5 pieces of the shrapnel this time, Drake levitated them into the air. 2 were flung at each of Olra'ens elbows, 2 more hurled at his knees and the last right towards the middle of his forhead.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He picked them off telekinetically, one at a time as required by his limited power in that regard, but blindingly fast.

"We're done here," he said. "On to the next stop in our tour of this world.

"There are a pair of towns just outside of walking distance; we'd get to either one a few hours after the sun has set. The larger one is north, the other east. Pick a town, and then we work on physical enhancement."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Vaguely the Sith Apprentice wondered which world they were on. He had not bothered to ask Olra'en and for the most part, he didn't care.

"If its all the same to you, then I would rather you choose which town."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"The smaller one," he said without hesitation. "It has a larger militia.

"This world doesn't have much in terms of technology. They're millennia behind the galaxy. To put it bluntly, the crossbow is a radical shift to the balance of power. Not the bowcaster, mind you, the crossbow. It's an ancient weapon that looks like a bowcaster but has a stretched cord instead of a magnetic accelerator, and fires lengths of wood, steel and iron faster than your average blaster bolt.

"As for armour, there's chain mail - a sort of metal mesh - and boiled leather, and then there's plate. We probably won't encounter plate.

"The inhabitants are human.

"Let's move. How much do you know about physical enhancement?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"I only know what you have taught me so far. And that is to use the Force to decrease fatigue."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Then we'll move on today to increasing endurance.

"The first element is more or less like most things. Let the Force flow. Embrace it and let it be part of your body. Focus on muscle groups and then on your body as a whole. Make yourself faster.

"Follow."

He took off down the mountainside at full speed, which was pretty dang fast.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice followed Olra'ens instructions to the letter. Drake had become accustomed to letting the Force flow through him by now and it came naturally. He took off after Olra'en. Although unable to match the Sith Knight's speed, Drake was not getting burned either. Drake chose his way carefully. The last thing he desired was to stumble and seriously injure himself as he tumbled down the mountain.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He moderated his own speed, not quite enough for him to match Drake but enough that his Apprentice wasn't falling too far behind. Most of his focus stayed on the rough, unstable terrain, and on several occasions he nearly tumbled. His boots gave only mediocre traction, which he tried to augment with minute adjustments to the angle of his feet. That turned out to be a mistake, as proven about a hundred metres from the crest of a foothill when he nearly rolled his left ankle. He didn't allow emotion to creep into his Force sense, nor to his face.

The hill eventually tapered, and he turned at the bottom to regard his Apprentice, who was coming over the crest with the sun at his back.

"How're you holding up?" he said tersely.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake stopped a dozen feet from Olra'en and heard him ask how he was holding up.

"I'm holding up fine. The Force sustains me and lends me the endurance that I require."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Then you have no objections to continuing at this pace? Good. We should be there before nightfall."

*** *** ***

The pair of Sith made grossly elongated shadows that stretched down a slope and into a small valley. Down there, fires were being banked for the night, and the town watchmen were just being rotated. Shule pointed out the nearest one, some four hundred metres distant, who bore a longbow and a short sword. Nobody had noticed them as of yet.

"See what you can do to that fellow from this distance."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"You are asking me to kill him?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Indeed. Shadow, projectile, explosion...I don't care how, just do it with the Force."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

This was somewhat of a quandry for the Sith Apprentice. He had no problem killing, if the victim was looking at him and knew they were going to die. It was a different matter all together to be standnig several hundred feet away. Drake made up his mind, he would not kill someone unless he was the last person that they saw. In his low voice, he said to Olra'en:

"If it's all the same to you, I would rather be much closer to the victim. I take no pride in ending a life if the victim does not catch a glimpse of me."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Honour is admirable, Drake, but it has its place. Look twenty metres to the left of that man, and another ten beyond that. Can you dodge three arrows at once while dispatching them fast enough that they cannot summon aid? What if the only way to accomplish a goal was to put honour in its proper place and kill the unsuspecting?" There was no 'what if' about it; the time was now, and the Sith Knight fully expected his Apprentice to be capable of such an action.

He reached out with the Dark Side, creating a storm of Shadow inside the armed man down there. He convulsed horribly, despite the lack of visible wounds, and of course non-Forcers couldn't see what was killing him. Nevertheless, it drew the attention of the nearer of his companions, who rushed towards him.

Meanwhile, the roiling ball of solid hate in his guts continued to grow. His mouth opened to scream, but the Shadow struck like a viper, spreading up through his body into his throat and choking the sound away. Ribbons of black fog began to ooze from his pores. A look of anger mingled with the pain on his face as the Shadow touched his mind. He fell forward, still convulsing even as he died.

His comrade leaned down to touch the prone figure, but as his fingers brushed the Shadow-mist that almost completely surrounded it, he drew back at the sheer malevolence of it.

"To kill with Shadow," Shule said conversationally, "not only must you solidify your hatred, but it must be hatred for the target in particular. General rage just doesn't cut it."

The two watchmen were looking about with trained reflexes, looking for a possible attacker even though there was no wound visible. Perhaps they thought he'd been struck in the head with a slingstone that had scrambled his brains; slings were fairly common in these parts, if Shule recalled correctly. It didn't take them long to spot the two Sith, and then their bows were up, nocked and drawn fast enough even to impress the Sith Knight.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The situation had experienced a huge shift in balance. Now the Sith Apprentice could kill without losing what honor he still retained. The bows of the remaining watchmen twanged and the arrows sped with deadly accuracy towards the 2 Sith. Drake summoned up the Force quickly and concentrated it at the 2 projectiles that were hurtling through the air. Both of the arrows stopped and hung suspended in the air.

Drake reversed the directon that the two arrows were facing. He used a very violent push with the Force and sent the projectiles back to the two watchmen at a high velocity. The two men were stunned by what they saw and had no time to react. The arrows passed cleanly through the mens' throat and left them dead before they hit the ground.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Uncanny and impressive accuracy, Drake." He frowned, seeking a new target. No new guards were forthcoming.

"What about her?"

At the other end of the town, slightly closer than the three guards had been, another guard was talking with a girl about Shule's age. Neither had noticed anything; a shed sat neatly in between the two guardposts.

Score one for miracles of bad tactics.

"She's got a dagger at her belt, after all."

And that was about as close to a joke as he was going to get. Darth Shule's mood was deadly serious.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice was confused.

"What's your point?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Kill her."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice gritted his teeth. He covered his hand in the Shadow that he had grown to like. Filling it with the most depressing thoughts imaginable, he took aim and fired. A bolt of the Shadow detached itself from his hand and hurtled through the air towards the unsuspecting girl.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

The effect was interesting, if not fatal; convulsions and prolonged screaming. Severe damage had been done. The guard was kneeling beside her.

"Finish them off."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice spotted a small rock by his foot. He used telekenisis to levitate the object off the ground. Drake then picture the male guard in his mind, and focused on the man's forehead. He kept the target clearly in his mind and used the Force to hurl the rock towards its destination. The man dropped to the floor once the rock hit its mark. For the remaining person that he had damaged earlier, he offered up another Shadow bolt. This one would finish her off.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He nodded approvingly, cloaking them both in illusion and heading down the hillside, signalling Drake to follow. These new deaths, unlike the earlier ones, had attracted more attention. Frowning, he amped up his hearing and picked up running footsteps just before a five-man squad of spearmen turned a corner and came into sight. They stayed together, looking about for the attackers.

Palace-forged steel rasped as Shule pulled a long rapier from his belt. They came within twenty metres of the patrol, strategically placed building shielding them from any archery from the wood-framework tower at one end of the town, before dropping the invisibility.

"Time to prove yourself, Apprentice."

The spearmen advanced...

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Mimicking Olra'en, the Sith Apprentice reached inside his flowing black cloak and grabbed the hilt of the sword. Drake smoothly pulled the blade out of it's covering. The chilling sound of the steel leaving the sheath rang out.

Drake didn't feel it necessary to prove himself to anyone. But if there ever were a chance, this was it. He had spent countless hours honing his ability with a blade. He had taken Olra'en's advice and rested more, but that only meant he had to train harder to make up for lost time.

The illusion that surrounded the two Sith was lowered and they were spotted by the patrol. Drake widened his stance. He supposed that this fight was to be fought with tangible weapons and with minimal use of the Force. That didn't bother the Apprentice, he wished to know how well he could hold up in a real combat situation.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Drake was the larger target, not to mention that he looked older. Three of the spearmen headed for the Apprentice; one straight-on, one from the left and one in between.

The remaining pair advanced together, splitting up only at the last moment, and then only as far as they could; one was practically up against the building's wall. With a single horizontal slash, Shule knocked both incoming spears to the side - his right, so as not to inadvertantly skewer Drake - stepped up, slashed across one man's throat and flipped the rapier over into a backhanded grip fast enough that the remaining spearman couldn't recover.

The rapier slid through spearshaft, cuirass and breastbone, pinning the unfortunate local to the wall like a butterfly in a macabre bug collection. The Sith Knight was already spinning towards whatever was left around Drake, dirk out and ready just in case his Apprentice couldn't handle it.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice watched as three of the five men broke apart and headed towards him. Did they believe him to be the bigger threat? It was an absurd idea to the Apprentice. Drake mapped out in his mind each possible scenario and how he would defend and attack. He would finally be able to see if all his training paid off.

The three spearmen advanced on him and Drake positioned himself so he was in front of the man on the left. Once in attack range, the man on the left thrust at the Apprentice with his spear. The move did not catch Drake off guard and he was prepared for it. He spun to the outside and avoided the spear. While spinning, Drake reversed the grip on his sword and plunged it behind himself. The blade sunk deep into the man's side. Completing the spin, the blade was yanked free from the man and he crumbled to the earth.

Without pausing, the Sith Apprentice continued his attack. The two remaining spearmen turned to face him. Drake's forward spin had positioned himself behind them. His sword plunged through the stomache of one and he yanked it free quickly. Twisting his torso, he evaded an incoming thrust from the remaining spearmen. Bringing his sword down on the shaft, it snapped into two pieces.

The Apprentice did a half spin and brought his blade up. The remaining spearmen's head was swept cleanly from his body.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He nodded approvingly, sliding the dirk back into its sheath and reaching over to yank the rapier out. The man crumpled, and Shule leaned down to wipe the blade on his cloak.

More noise. A few disgruntled villagers appeared to be gathering, most of them armed to one extent or another. Shule gestured imperiously.

"Your sword, please."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake handed the sword to the Sith Knight hilt first. When his hand came off the blade it was covered in blood. It didn't bother him at all. He just wiped in his hand on the inside of his flowing black cloak. The Sith Apprentice was slightly curious as to why Olra'en wished to see the sword he used.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He tucked the sword into his belt and leaned back against the wall, becoming invisible as he did so. Meanwhile, the villagers came into sight and, spotting Drake, began to yell.

They charged.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice watched as Olra'en put up an illusion to make himself disapear. This was yet another test? To kill a bunch of peasants? He sneered both inwardly and out. Olra'en apparently wasn't giving him enough credit.

Drake extended the palm of his right hand outward and executed an area of effect Force push. The villagers were knocked off their feet and they fell to the ground. One of the many things that the Sith Apprentice had been practicing.

He targeted the nearest villager and concentrated on the victims heart. At the core of it, to be more precise. The villager hadn't even begun to climb to his feet when his heart exploded inside his chest killing him instantly. These people were fools for attacking, did they not see the dead bodies of the watchmen?

Systematically the Sith Apprentice killed the villagers one by one. He always made sure they couldn't get within attacking distance. The reason being he had no weapon and would only be able to dodge. After they were all dead, Drake felt somewhat drained. Understandable though, he was still growing in the Force and to much exertion was tiring.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Shule dropped the illusion and gave Drake back his sword.

"You were confident against those villagers because they had no chance to reach you. No more chance than soldiers would. You're better than soldiers, Drake. You're a Sith.

"Do you think you could take on some soldiers unarmed after a little rest?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

After sheathing his sword, the Sith Apprentice turned to face Olra'en. Drake nodded his head slowly at the Sith Knight.

"They would be no more challenge then those peasants. Killing from a distance is...not tasteful for me. I find combat to be more interesting when I can defeat my enemy in melee combat. They are allowed a chance to defend themselves, however inadequate."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"I understand and I agree. Practice, however, is essential. What if you had to fight another Darksider, someone who has no scruples about killing from afar? Wouldn't you then be grateful that you knew at least some sorcery?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice once again nodded his head.

"Yes. Against non Force users, however, I prefer comparing skills with a weapon."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"And when you're outmatched? You're decent with a blade, Drake, but there's more than that out there."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"Understood."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Very well, then."

He walked through the centre of town and into the forest on the other side.

"We're going to pay a visit to the other town tomorrow, but tonight we're going to camp out here. Find us a good campsite, would you? Hidden, defensible, close to water?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

What's next? Start a fire with a stick and some dried leaves?, Drake thought cynically. The Sith Apprentice felt for a source of water using the Force. After locating the closest one, Drake took off at a run with the Force aiding him.

Within minutes the two Sith were at the edge of a slow moving stream. Drake looked around. It seemed fitting for a night's rest.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Look around you. Is this place easily defensible?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"Why wouldn't it be? We are on a planet filled with primitives. It's unlikely we will have to defend against anything."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Shule took a deep breath and closed his eyes, casting his mind about to find what he suspected might be in the area. He found it within moments, and it was an instant's work to take control of the animal's mind and body.

His eyes popped open. "Some things are less intelligent than the locals, and would actually consider attacking us if they found us. For example..." Right on cue, a clawed monstrosity lumbered into sight, splashing happily in the stream.

"Plus, it's possible that some of the villagers might get up enough nerve to come for us in the night, and I don't know about you, but I'd like to come out of that alive and with as little energy drained as possible.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"Then I suggest you find a good campsite."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

The animal growled, betraying what was hidden behind Shule's stone face.

"And what brought this on?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice stoold motionless and said nothing. He did not understand the question Olra'en was asking him.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Taking it for obstinacy, Shule took a step forward, as did the carnivore.

"Watch your tone."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake glared from beneath his hood. This Sith Knight could be so infuriating with all these benign and useless tasks. Then what happens? The fool gets upset when he shows a little annoyance. He shrugged off Olra'en's words.

The Sith Apprentice killed the beast that Olra'en was controlling by crushing its heart with the Force. It fell lifelessly to the cold hard ground.

"Now is this suitable?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"It is," he said, biting off each word as he savored the feel of a death, "if you can tell me with absolute certainty that there are no more dangerous animals within a five-mile radius."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Was there no end to the ridiculous things that the Sith Knight asked him to do? Drake was furious. Olra'en seemed to enjoy stretching his patience as far as he could.

"There are no animals on this poor excuse of a planet that could pose a threat to a Sith. But if this will satiate your hunger to see me do these ridiculous things..."

The Sith Apprentice trailed off and closed his eyes in concentration. An invisible bubble extended out from all sides of Drake and pushed outwards. It swept over there surroundings and kept on going. When he was certain that he had scanned far enough, the Apprentice broke his contact with the Force and then sensed nothing.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"There is nothing that could threaten you awake, true. Asleep is another story entirely."

The sun had long since set. Shule wrapped himself in his cloak and lay down to sleep, wondering if his Apprentice would get himself in trouble before dawn. He rather thought so.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake had recieved enough sleep before their departure to this unknown world and he didn't feel he needed more as of yet. He pretended to do the same as the Sith Knight, wrapping himself in his cloak and spreading out on the cold hard forest floor. After waiting a few minutes, to ensure Olra'en was asleep, Drake got up and walked off into the forest. Now was his time to train.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He slept soundly, albeit with eyes slitted open from sheer force of habit. What Drake was doing was far enough away that it could present little hazard to the sleeping Sith Knight, and thus his danger-sense didn't alert him.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice had his weapon drawn and was practicing an assortment of techniques. He had traveled a good distance away from where Olra'en was sleeping. One thing Drake wasn't in the mood for was a lecture if he awoke the Sith Knight. Olra'en had advised him that he should get more sleep. Drake had increased the ammount he slept, but Olra'en would have advised him to get even more.

The Sith Apprentice had shed his cloak to increase his mobility.
Drake stabbed, slashed, and hacked at the air with the sword. He wished above all else to obtain perfection in his technique. Something that could only be achieved through hours of relentless practice.

Drake paused in mid-swing and listened to his surroundings. He could have sworn he heard voices. There it was again. Through the trees the Sith Apprentice saw a light flicker into view. Torchlight, he thought to himself. It was a hunting party. What fools! They had seen the carnage that Olra'en and himself had left, yet here they were, searching them out.

Briefly the Sith Apprentice thought of going to Olra'en and notifying him of the hunting party, but he dismissed the idea quickly. He could handle this situation by himself. Drake had the advantage after all. They were not yet aware of him, and it would remain so until he wished differently.

Drake gaged the trajectory of the hunting party and hid himself behind a tree off to the side. He would not be visible when they passed him. He guessed there was maybe two doezen men in all and each carried a weapon and only a few had torches. The number of men did not disaude the Sith Apprentice. He ran through his mind the advantages he would have over them.

The men at the front of the hunting party passed the tree that he was hiding behind. Once the last men had passed his position, he slowly crept out of hiding and trailed after them soundlessly.

Drake brought down two of the men in one sweep of his sword. There heads rolled and the bodies collapsed to the ground. The other members of the hunting party had become alert, but by the time they had turned with weapons raised Drake had faded into the shadows. He made his way quickly to the front of the line where the backs of the men were now turned. Two more heads rolled.

OOC: want to add something, i dont wanna write to much.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Some of the villagers broke down, one or two of them large men. The rest kept them immobile in the centre of the loose formation.

"Don't run. They'll get you if you run."

The villagers clustered closer together and faced outwards with weapons raised.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Now that they were watching all sides, the Sith Apprentice couldn't attack again without being seen. Twenty of the villagers still remained standing. A few were terrified but others stood resolute and unwavering. The villagers were now under the impression they were being attacked by multiple people.

Drake started to seeth and bring his anger to the forefront. He would need every ounce of it for the upcoming fight. His sword, dripping with fresh blood, was held steady in front of him. These foolish people would soon come to know the meaning of fear.

The Sith Apprentice sprung quickly from the shadows and towards the nearest villager. He saw a look of terror in the man's eyes before his blade silenced him forever. At once, all the villager's were aware of his presence. They all turned and spotted him immediatly. Crying out, they all attacked in a gigantic rush. Another villager had died immediatly after the first.


Drake's body was racing with adrenaline and his anger powered him to an extent he would not have thought possible. The fight raged on and on for the Sith Apprentice. He eventually became surrounded on all sides, but his fierecness kept him alive. He struck viciously and constantly kept his body moving around.

Suddenly pain seared in his left arm. One of the villagers had got a strike in. In his moment of pain another villager struck his abdomen and left a gash there. He erupted in a new wave of anger and cut down both of his attackers. Blood dripped freely from the open wounds and pain coursed through his body. He ignored this and kept fighting.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Sahran wheeled as the shadowman came out of the darkness, raising her hoe and bringing it down viciously in an attempt to dig the horizontal blade into his shoulder. He parried and lopped off the implement's head, then slashed for her gut. The slim haft in her hands rose slightly to deflect it, and succeeded at the cost of a sizeable chip spinning away out of the ring of light thrown by the lanterns in the back.

She fell and scrambled backwards, taking a couple of accidental kicks to the shoulders as Loprin and the rest swarmed the lone attacker. Her hoe-haft fell from nerveless hands as she curled into a fetal ball. At sixteen, she had had training with staff and bow, but no real combat experience. There were few enough people to fight around here, after all.

And she was completely and utterly terrified.

At long last the horrible noises ended. She peeked between her fingers and found herself staring a very scarred man in a shredded robe in the face. Paralysis overtook her, even as she realized that nobody could possibly come for her.

Nobody.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice stood bloodied and battered with dead bodies scattered all over. His head was swimming and he struggled to remain on his feet. He was bleeding from several wounds and his clothes were in tatters. The battle had left him more wounded then he could have thought possible. It was proof to him of his own inefficiency. Something that only more training could mend.

Drake was looking into the eyes of a single female villager that remained alive. The woman was curled into a ball on the forest floor and looking absolutely terrified. He knew that he had to finish his work. It bothered him only slightly that he was going to kill a terrified woman that was unable to defend herself. Taking a step forward he lost consciousness and plunged into darkness. His body fell roughly to the ground.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Whatever she had expected from the shadowman, falling dead at her feet wasn't it. Slowly, she uncurled and stood up, examining the body and the woods around her; there might have been more than one of them.

He breathed, jerking convulsively, and she leapt back, stifling a squeak. Her first instinct was to run; her second was to pick up his sword and finish the job.

She looked around her at almost two dozen bodies. How one man could do so much evil was so far beyond her that she couldn't begin to fathom it. What was worse that a man with such skill would choose to slaughter mere villagers. Maybe he was from the castle to the north-west, the one they didn't owe allegiance to. Maybe this was the start of a war between feudal lords.

So, disarming him carefully, she picked him up and began to drag him towards the town. The people there would be more than happy to interrogate him.

*** *** ***

Je'gan - in his dreams he was always Je'gan, never Shule - slept peacefully.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice regained consciousness a few hours later. He found himself in a dark, musty cell. His wounds had been treated poorly, but they no longer bled. Through the pounding in his head he wondered why he was still alive. Did these people think they could gain something by keeping him alve?

Drake's first inclination was to blast the door off his cell and fight his way out. This idea was dismissed almost immediatly. He was far to weak in his current state to put up a fight and would be killed quickly. The Sith Apprentice doubted he could even blast the cell door open to begin with.

Drake was furious that he had allowed himself to be captured. He thought his skills would triumph boldly. And yet here he was, trapped in a prison with no means of escape. Or was there? The idea that the Sith Apprentice came up with would force him to call for help. Something that he despised doing in any situation. But, it was either that, or be killed eventually.

Closing his eyes, Drake concentrated on finding Olra'en. He found the Sith Knight's Force signature easily enough. The two Sith were the only Force users on the planet after all. He sent out a telepathic message to Olra'en that explained where he was and his current condition. Now he would have to wait.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Yes, Ceres, I-"

Master!

The dream faded as Drake's message came through, though Shule managed to hold onto sleep by his fingernails. Even practically comatose, he maintained enough intelligence to understand the telepathic communication. A large part of him wanted to just leave his Apprentice there to get himself out, mindful of having done something similar doing his own training missions.

Still, if he was that badly wounded...

He let himself wake up and stood, rubbing his eyes. The village was in that direction, as he recalled. Stretching fiercely, he set off at a walk.

*** *** ***

Sahran peeked into the cell through the freshly sawn window - it was the back room of an inn, really, locked and barricaded - and saw the murderer moving. She nodded over her shoulder to the others who had gathered for this.

"Who are you?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice struggled to his feet. He used the far wall of the cell to support himself. His head throbbed steadily and his body ached from the numerous gashes he had recieved. If Drake made it out of his predicament, he would have quite a few new scars. A fact that he was not to particularly pleased about.

Drake looked up and gave the woman a look of deep hatred and loathing. She shrunk back sligthly. He wished his strength would return so he could kill her and everyone else gathered. In a low, cold voice he spoke to her.

"It doesn't matter. You will soon be dead. As will everyone else in this place."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"We'll see," she said, matching him for coldness. Turning, she left his view for a moment and returned, carrying something. A grunt escaped her as she poured a large bucket of fluid into the cell. Something was stuffed into the crack between the door and its frame; the fluid ebbed against the door and retreated. She began pouring bucket after bucket through the tiny, rough-edged window. A sharp, distinctive smell rose to Drake's nostrils.

Rendered fat.

Flammable.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice wrinkled his nose at the odor. Did the woman mean to burn down the structure that he was caged in? It seemed an absurd idea, but apparently Drake had struck a chord.

His head was clearing up and he could better manage his thoughts. He was careful to stay clear of the rendered fat as it was poured into his cell. Remaining calm, he attempted to think of a way out of this new predicament he had put himself into. The liquid kept getting poured in and eventually Drake had no choice but to stand in it.

Drake called out to Olra'en once again. The outcome of this situation did not seem like it would favor the Sith Apprentice.

Maste, Olra'en. I am on the verge of being incinerated. In my current state, it is very difficult to defend myself.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

A burning stick was poked through the window.

"Talk," Sahran said. "Talk very fast."

*** *** ***

Joy...

Calling to the Force, Shule took off at a well-enhanced sprint. Within thirty seconds, he was in sight of the town. Crude barricades surrounded most of it, and ill-armed locals goose-stepped in the streets.

He gathered his legs under him and leapt from the treeline, the Force taking him almost thirty metres into the air. He was well past the barricades when the first shouts and arrows came his way.

Magor lashed out as he landed at a run, blue flame slicing supporting beams for a number of structures. Behind him, collapsing jumbles of wood blocked the street, cutting off pursuit. A lone axeman turned a corner in front of him. In the time it took for them to close, the Sith Knight had already taken complete control of the man's mind, forsaking subtlety for speed. The man would have a whole host of mental problems in coming years; amnesia, emotional instability, and psychotic outbursts.

If he even survived being Shule's impromptu cannon fodder.

Flanked by the axeman, Shule charged towards the building where he thought he sensed his Apprentice.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice's eyes were fixated on the burning piece of wood. Why not? He would amuse these gawkers if that was what they wished. Not that he really had a choice. Drake was sure that Olra'en was on his way. All he had to do was buy a little time.

He spoke slowly and in a cold voice.

"I belong to the Sith Order, located on Corellia. I've come here with one other." Drake resisted the urge to say and he should be arriving here shortly. That would get him torched for sure.

Drake heard commotion start up from somewhere within the camp. His only guess was that Olra'en had arrived.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Corellia...Sith...

Old names. Names from half-remembered legend.

Ridiculous. Despite the thrill of fear that ran through her at the name 'Sith' being applied to a person, she knew it was laughable.

But this unbeatable, strangely accented man didn't seem to be joking.

"If you are a Sith," she said mockingly, "then use your magic and put this out."

And as she dropped the flaming stick into the tallow, the door burst in and she found herself fighting for her life against a boy in black.

*** *** ***

Shule passed his rapier through the girl's defence, skewered her, and raced to the door, where flames were already licking out of the little window. A moment's focus blew the hinges to shreds, and reaching into the splintered, flaming aperture, he yanked the heavy oak door out of its frame.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice cursed vehemently as the flaming branch fell toward the rendered fat that covered the floor of his cell. Time seemed to slow as the inevitable meeting between the burning stick and the flammable substance drew closer. Drake wondered how he was going to make it out of the cell alive.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

The door surrendered, tipping back towards Shule. The Sith Knight leapt straight up and over the door as it fell, came down on top of it, and bolted into the room. Flames poured from the doorway, singeing his face and cloak.

He spotted Drake's silhouette and reached out with the most powerful Force Pull he could remember generating. It snatched the burning Apprentice off his feet and bowled them both over, slapping at flames.

It didn't work. Even as fire began to creep up the walls around them, Shule entered the deep focus and, working faster than he ever had, pulled the excess energy from their skin and clothing. The flames died instantly. A deep chill numbed them; his hasty effort had done more than he'd anticipated. His teeth chattered as he got up and bolted for the hall. The axeman was waiting, immobile, with a look of incredible pain on his face. Entering the deep focus had broken the mind-control link, and the damage Shule's deadly techniques had done had free rein over the villager's psyche. He put his rapier through the man's neck and ran on, trusting Drake to follow.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Stumbling slightly from fatigue and injury, Drake did his best to keep up with the fleeing Sith Knight. They rounded a few corners and went quickly up a flight of stairs. The two bursted from the burning building. Drake saw guards running towards the building. It took the Sith Apprentice a few moments of feeling for his weapon before realizing that he didn't have it. This fight was left to Olra'en.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

After intense use of mind control, physical enhancement, energy manipulation and telekinesis, he was beginning to feel the same fatigue. Only mentally, however. Spinning forward, he launched himself into a literal blur of Teras Kasi and classical solid-blade fencing.

The first man went down with broken bones and multiple punctures. The second lasted a moment through excellent use of a long knife. The third, meanwhile, made it past and went for Drake. Shule didn't turn around, merely closed his eyes in the half-second he had before the fourth and fifth entered range. Even as the third man attacked Drake, his head exploded.

Then the fourth and fifth were on him, each wielding broadswords. Shule flipped the dirk from his belt with his left hand. Each man, at risk of hitting his companion, swung vertically. Top physical enhancement let Shule stop both blows dead on, one with each of his weapons. He then stepped forward between them and slit their throats.

"Let's go," he said urgently, then paused. "Here..."

Very carefully, he reached out to the Dark Side and empowered Drake. The process, a new idea, gave energy and a measure of willpower. It would be enough to get them out of the village.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

A wave of energy coursed through the Sith Apprentice and he felt a renewed sense of vigor. His wounds, although still present, had diminished in his mind. He wasn't thinking about them anymore. The power that Olra'en had lended him would be enough for their escape. Then, Drake would need medical attention and some rest if he was going to recuperate quickly.

Olra'en took off at a run and the Sith Apprentice followed, no longer bothered by his wounds.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Unlike the last time they'd left the village behind, they actually went a fair distance. Five kilometres and a host of mind-altered wild animals (sentries) later, the Sith had decamped in a tiny valley. Shule, now sitting on a massive rock, was breathing hard. Nonetheless, the gaze he sent Drake's way lacked nothing.

"I understand."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

By the time Olra'en stopped running, the Sith Apprentice was on the verge of collapsing. He doubled over and breathed heavily out of his mouth. The power his Master had lended him was long gone. Drake had ran the last stretch out of sheer willpower. His wounds were more painful now then they had been before escaping from the cell. Walking gingerly over to a rock, he took a seat.

"And what do you understand?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Shule flipped a miniature synthflesh dispenser-slash-medical irradiator into a short arc that terminated in Drake's hand.

"I understand why."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice used the thing Olra'en had tossed to him. His wounds began, almost immediatly, to feel better. He discarded the used medical treatment. Drake said nothing.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Shule called the device back to him, used the last of its capabilities to treat his own minor injuries, and replaced it. He, too, was wordless.

After a time, a small animal came into view. He'd been more careful than was his wont; the animal's mind would suffer no damage as a result of his takeover.

He released his hold on the furry little thing and gestured to it. "You can project emotions already. I'd like to see you project will."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake lowered his head and stared at the leaf strewn forest floor. He promised himself to be more patient with Olra'en for the time being. Were it not for him, the Sith Apprentice would be nothing more then a charred corpse. A fate that he had no desire for.

His head continued to throb, but the pain generated by his wounds continued to ease. He breathed deeply.

"I am mentally and physically exhausted. Is that not apparent?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Shule's voice cracked like a whip.

"Exhaustion is irrelevant. You know this to be so. Draw on the power of the Force, and do as I say."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake cursed under his breath. He was tempted to disobey Olra'en. However, after a moments deliberation he concluded that the injuries he had sustained from his fight the previous night were enough. Olra'en would have no problem demonstrating who was the Master and who was the Apprentice.

Drake smiled inwardly. He was sure that he could provoke Olra'en a little more without fear of retaliation.

"Exactly where am I to project this emotion?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"You shouldn't imagine that your thoughts are secret around someone like me, Drake."

A band of Shadow slipped around the Apprentice's throat.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake felt a constricting force tighten around his neck. He was not yet being prevented from breathing. Olra'en was simply threatening him. The Sith Apprentice resisted the urge to bring his hands up to his throat. He was going to have to play it cool.

"Do you make it a habit to threaten all of those who. at times, think ill of you?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"I make it a point to treat my enemies in such a way that they cease to become enemies - in one way or another. I make a similar point with irritants."

The Shadow tightened slightly.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Again Drake resisted bringing his hands up to his throat. He could still breathe, however, it was becoming a little difficult. Olra'en's purpose was not to kill him, only to scare him. The Sith Apprentice would not allow the Sith Knight the satisfaction. He managed to speak clearly enough.

"Are you going to kill me then, for being an irritant?" He said mockingly.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Shule actually seemed amused.

"Why not?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"Killing me for being a small irritant seems a poor reason to lose an Apprentice."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"I have four Apprentices, Drake. Losing one because he wasted my valuable time would be...well, you finish the sentence."

He instilled the Shadow with further hatred. Now even its reasonably loose contact with Drake's skin began to burn.

"And sentence it might be."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake winced slightly at the new pain. Perhaps Olra'en wasn't just trying to scare him.

"It would be of no consequence," he managed.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Wrong," Shule said flatly, then broke a smile and released the Shadow.

"To be blunt, Drake, you're not the most powerful nor the most experienced of my students. You do, however, possess the most potential.

"And if you'd be willing to stop wasting your time and mine, I'd be willing to teach you some real power."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake resisted a derisive snort. Olra'en missed one important word in his blunt statement. And the word was...yet. He was not the most powerful or experienced of Olra'en's students, yet. Something that the Sith Apprentice would remedy, all in due time.

He nodded his head.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

As he listened to his Apprentice's thoughts, Shule conceded that Drake might easily be correct. He possessed about the same amount of raw Force-potential as any of the Sith Knight's other students; the one who worked the hardest would come out ahead.

"Let's begin."

The animal hopped closer to Drake.

"Reach out and see the animal's mind. Very primitive, isn't it? No match for you or I. Try to impress your desires and commands on it. Note that it has to feel 'right' to do so. Think of how much more significant this animal will be under your control, how much more it can accomplish."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice reached out towards the animal. It was indeed a very primitive mind. He caught little pieces of what it was feeling. Among the few emotions was timidness. The creature was unsure of the two men and remained wary. Drake impressed on the animal the desire to come closer to the two Sith. Slowly the timidness of the animal was replaced with a sense of curiosity.

The animal hopped closer and closer to the Sith Apprentice. At one point Drake felt his control slip and the animal began to move in the opposite direction, but he seized control again almost immediately. Soon the animal was within arms length of Drake.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

OOC/ WB, Drake.

IC/ He nodded, eyes half-closed as he monitored Drake's efforts.

"Good, good. You've overcome something that's inherent to its psyche. Nicely done. Let's go a bit farther, shall we? Make this passive little creature attack me." He smiled. "I've seen peaceful animals used as weapons before. It's an effective technique, and normally unexpected."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

OOC: Thank you, good to be back once more.

IC: The Sith Apprentice called up anger and aggression to project at the animal. The two new emotions replaced the previous one he had instilled. Drake turned the attention of the furry animal towards Olra'en. With surprising agility, the creature leaped into the air towards the Sith Knight.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

It halted in midair, victim of a combination Force Choke and Push.

"Not bad for a first try. Not bad at all. Now for something completely different..."

He dropped the critter several metres away.

"Make it speak. As far as I know, it's impossible, but trying will give you a good idea of what a mind's inner terrain is like."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice tried unsuccessfully to fullfill Olra'en's request.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"As you see," he lectured, "a mind can be seen as a cluster of nodes. Each one corresponds to some function. Memory, or second-guessing oneself, or habitual behaviour. By manipulating those nodes, you can do literally anything.

"Try to find the node that corresponds to willpower."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice probed the mind of the animal once more. This time he dug deeper into the mind of the creature. After a few moments of searching, Drake thought he had targeted the node Olra'en had specified.

"And now?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Dampening the connections between that node and the rest of the mind is the foundation of the Mind Trick, and eventually mind control as well. We don't have any test subjects at the moment, but tomorrow we'll go to what's left of the village and catch one.

"Let's practice. Can you see and feel those connections?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice nodded his head.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Try to constrict them. In effect, you have to throttle the subject's willpower."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake did as the Sith Knight had instructed and attempted to constrict the connections to the node he had targeted.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"There, that's it. Note that some things are still slipping through the constricted tunnels. Slow them down."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Focusing on his new targets, the Sith Apprentice slowed down the bits that were passing through the constricted tunnels.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Do that enough, and a weak-minded individual will have no self-control at all. They'll be susceptible to any command, mental or verbal, that you give them.

"Let's move on to something a bit more dangerous. Mindripping: using focused constructs of willpower to damage the function of a mind. Observe, carefully. For obvious reasons, this will only happen once."

A blast brushed past Drake's probe into the animal's mind, shattering the nodules that made up the thing's psyche. The animal promptly dropped over, dead.

"I don't expect you to be able to do that all at once...but I've used a weaker version as a weapon for a long time. It's worked against a lot of people. Saved my life against a Dark Master.

"Let's begin. Focus your will as if you're about to dive into a mind, then make something of it. It's like taking emotion and making it into Shadow, hmm? Just substitute emotion for will, and you're good.

"Make it into a blade and strike at my mind. I'm going to temporarily weaken the shields over my sense nodes, so you can feel what it's like to breach shielding."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake followd the Sith Knight's instructions to the letter. Olra'en's mind was substantially weakened after lowering his shields.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

His lips pursed into a thin line as he brought his shields back up and forcibly extracted Drake's blade. Never a pleasant feeling, being breached.

"Once you're in, you can use that blade to cut nodules apart. Here..." Another small, furry animal crept out of the bushes, shaking itself from the last traces of full mind-control.

"...damage its mind."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake delved into the mind of the new animal that the Sith Knight had called forth. He located the nodules that Olra'en had spoken of before his first attempt at entering a creatures mind. Once the Sith Apprentice identified the nodule that controlled sight, he cut the metaphorical thread.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Now it's blind...but connectors will regrow. Even nodules, given time, will repair damage to themselves. To throroughly rob the target of sight for good, you have to literally shred the nodule.

"For a temporary effect, say in a battle when you can't really get inside their mind, there's a simpler way than cutting the connectors. You project darkness; nothing more, nothing less. Project darkness into a test subject's mind.

"Examine the animal; it's gone blind. Destroy the nodule, then let it go."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake quickly found the nodule a second time. He concentrated heavily on destoying it rather then just a connector. He felt something shatter inside the animal's mind and he released his control.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He surveyed the damage carefully before withdrawing, satisfied that it was irrepairable.

"A mind is a very adaptable thing, Drake. Given a month, this animal will have learned to rely on its sense of hearing, its sense of smell, and its sense of touch almost to the extent that its sight has been replaced. Granted, of course, that it lives that long.

"I would like you to take care of it to make sure it does. Every action has a consequence, and the sooner that's cemented in your mind, the better for both of us."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

'You are asking me to look after this...thing?" Drake spoke with obvious disdain in his voice.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Yes, I am. Asking, that is. This isn't a command from a Master to an Apprentice. This is a simple question, with few strings attached. Will you take care of the rabbit, or won't you?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Knight undoubtedly expected Drake to refuse his request. He stared at the rabbit with a penetrating gaz before slowly nodding his head. The task was simple and would require little to no effort. If it would satisfy Olra'en, then he would do it.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He nodded, satisfied.

"Now find me another rabbit and bring it here. But don't move from where you sit."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake reached out with his mind to the surrounding area searching for another rabbit. Within a minute, the Sith Apprentice had located one. From a distance, reaching out to connect with its mind was more difficult. He managed it nonetheless.

Once again, the Sith Apprentice identified the node that controlled will and cut the connectors. He then projected a summons to the creature and it obedientely made it's way to Drake.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Quickly and efficiently done."

Shule nodded and rubbed his hands together.

"Project darkness into its mind, if you please."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake asked no questions, he simply did as was instructed. The Sith Apprentice conjured up darkness with in the recesses of his mind and shot it straight to the core of the rabbit.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Congratulations. Your first combat mental technique: Force Blindness. It'll work on anyone from the lowest Disciple to the most powerful Master - just watch out. Some people can replace their sense of sight with the Force.

"Now give it a shot on me."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake projected the same thing, only this time it was directed at Olra'en.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"See," he said as darkness dropped over his view, "I'm now blind. I can combat it, of course, but most can't. Most will just resort to using the Force to sense their surroundings.

"Here."

A small object reflected starlight as it transcribed a perfect arc to Drake's hands.

"Your first lightsaber. Be careful, and train hard." He smiled mirthlessly. "It has no practice setting."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake ran his fingers along the elegant weapon and couldn't help admiring it. His expression revealed nothing, but inside he was pleased that Olra'en thought him ready to wield the deadly weapon.

He ignited the lightsaber, and a blood red blade shot forth. The Sith Apprentice looked up and down the length of the blade. It was wonderful.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"It's well-made - not by me, but by a friend of mine. Don't let its simplicity fool you. You hold in your hand one of the most dangerous close-combat weapons in the universe. I say 'one of' because...well, think of another."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"Vibroblade."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"A vibroblade is extremely dangerous, yes. It may be an inferior weapon, prone to degradation of the blade, but it's certainly something to watch out for.

"Another." There was a certain name that he was looking for, but it shouldn't do Drake any harm to cycle through the occupational hazards of a warrior.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"I know not the weapon you are thinking of Olra'en. Few people use close combat weapons and I can think of none that equal the capabilities of a lightsaber."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"And if you're without a lightsaber, fighting a Dark Jedi? Without any physical weapon?

"You'd still be armed. Wouldn't you? Shadow, telekinesis, mind tricks, Illusion. The Force is the most powerful, adaptive, dangerous melée weapon in existence.

"Let's move on. Here: start with a basic lightsaber stance. Right foot forward, right knee bent until it's over the foot. Left leg straight and pointed back. Make your feet parallel, pointed a bit to the left, and make your hips point forward. Then...sink."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake followed the instructions of the Sith Knight as he gave them. When he thought his stance was satisfactory, he looked up at Olra'en.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Don't be offended if I nitpick; I've had a lot of experience at this, and some things don't work unless they're perfect."

He surveyed Drake's stance critically.

"Right toe turned a bit more inwards...hips a bit straighter...there you go. Now add the saber to the mix. Vertical near your belly is a good defensive stance; horizontal over your head is a decent offence, but don't try that until you've mastered this weapon enough that you won't get stabbed in the gut. You could hold the saber in front of you, angled forward and up...a bit more distance...yes. There. And there are a whole lot more that the fertile imagination can probably duplicate.

"What saber position works best for you?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake thought briefly before giving his answer.

"This current one is more comfortable."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Sounds good. Now strike at me slowly; we'll work from there."

His own saber came up as he stood fully and faced Drake.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice took a small step forward and swung his lightsaber in a downard arc.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Instead of flicking Drake's strike out to the side - his usual defensive technique - he raised his blade perpendicular to his student's and stopped.

"Leave it there. Now. When striking overhead - and to a certain extent from anywhere - you want to minimize the time spent 'winding up'.

"Another little tip: lightsabers don't have much blade mass, if any. A flick of the wrists will work just as well as a full-armed swing. So swing to get some power behind the blade, then pull your lower hand back sharply to get a scythe effect.

"Try again."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake swung again, only this time he included the wrist technique that Olra'en had demonstrated.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Much better. Now try to apply a shortsword block to the lightsaber."

After blocking Drake's strike, he slashed horizontal, from right to left.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake mimicked the block that the Sith Knight had used. The two lightsabers clashed.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Excellent."

His arm retracted and his stance settled itself. A moment later, he sprang forward with a lunge for Drake's face.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Instincts took over and the Sith Apprentice leaned back while twisting his torso to evade the attack.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Good. See that I'm open; you could gut me or behead me easily enough, if I was off guard.

"Also, however, see that I can just twitch my wrist and cut your head in half."

He drew back.

"Either with its disadvantages."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake gave the Sith Knight a wry smile and nodded his head.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"So we see," he finished, "that dodging is only a solution for the time it takes your opponent to react. Blocking is far, far better."

He thrust again at Drake's head, looking for a somewhat different response.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice swung his lightsaber to the outside and knocked Olra'en's weapon askew.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Nice," he said sincerely. "Now be careful: I'm going to do that again, but I'm going to disengage. The tip of my blade is going to dip around your block, maybe more than once."

True to his word, the thrust he launched - aimed at Drake's left shoulder - disengaged twice.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

This time, Drake swung his lightsaber downward swiftly.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

The tip of Je'gan's blade, slightly slower due to the disengages, hit the flat of Drake's and slapped it toward him.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake stopped the blade inches from his body and avoided self inflicted injury.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"You've got to watch those disengages," Shule commented, drawing back. "There aren't many fencers in this universe, but you have got to be ready for them."

*** *** ***

They drilled until late in the morning, Drake learning and using more and more advanced techniques, and generally doing his Master proud. Each was tired, but each used the Force to stave it off, and Shule led Drake in the discovery of the battle-trance he used. Controlled rage worked wonders.

At last, breathing hard, he took a seat on a small boulder.

"In six hours, the sun will be well into its descent. That's when we'll head off. Six hours' sleep work for you?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentices' eyebrows furrowed slightly. He normally recieved much less then six hours of sleep. After mulling it over a few seconds longer, Drake saw that it was in his best interest to get as much sleep as he could. He was still beat up from the events that had transpired not long ago. Slowly, he nodded his head.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Good."

Promptly, Shule slipped off the boulder and curled up to sleep.

*** *** ***

His eyes cracked open; he looked over at Drake. Sleep's inertia almost claimed him - plus the really excellent dream he'd been having appealed to him strongly - but if his estimation of the sun's placement was right, now was about when he'd planned to wake up.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice continued to doze. But his dreams were all but peaceful. Often when Drake slept, he relived that fateful night where he had been changed forever.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He took a deep breath and dropped into Drake's dream.

"Good morning," he said. "Before we commence the day's mayhem, would you like me to help you deal with dreams like these?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice awoke with a start. He had heard clearly Olra'en's voice inside of his head. Glancing about, he saw the Sith Knight only a few feet away from himself. He aimed a penetrating stare at Olra'en before nodding his head in answer to the question.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Very well."

Almost unconsciously, he began to stalk back and forth, grinding tracks in the dirt.

"There are a few ways we can do this. Would you like me to do it for you, or would you like to be able to do it yourself?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"I would rather my problems be taken care of by me if it's all the same to you."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"It isn't, actually. I approve.

"Stretch out with the Force, and dive into your own mind like you did the rabbit's. Search about until you find a nodule of thought that looks like this." He pushed an impression of the nodule Drake should be looking for into his Apprentice's head. "That's your fears and everything behind him. Now, you could rip it out, but that wouldn't be wise. Fear is often what'll keep you alive. Instead, dive into that and query it with the images of your dreams. Once you find them, excise them. At the end of it all, you'll still remember your ordeal, but you won't get nightmares from it."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake closed his eyes in concentration. He began to search for the nodule that Olra'en had given him the mental visualization of. It did not take him long to find and identify it. Concentrating even harder, the Sith Apprentice worked on removing the images that haunted him while he slept. Removing them took longer then he anticipated, but after a few minutes, Drake considered them all to have been removed.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Your first mental surgery," he said approvingly. "Too minor to cause real pain, but keep in mind: anything past that, and it starts to hurt. A lot."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake nodded his head in understanding.

"Isn't about time we got off this planet?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Not quite. First, we're going to go decimate a village's militia."

He frowned, tapping his fingers on the lightsaber beneath his cloak.

"What do you want to become, Drake? Where do you see your skillset taking you? A mentalist? A full-time Shadowlord? A specialist in combat? Or just a jack-of-all-trades..."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"I enjoy close quarter combat above all else."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"I see...in that case, we'll consider the subjugation of the larger town's militia an exercise in that. Keep in mind that Sense is just as important as physical enhancement in a fight like that.

"Where are you going to put the rabbit?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"Where would you like me to put the rabbit?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Anywhere that's safe. That rabbit," he said, lips quirking, "is your life."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake's facial expression remained stoic. He walked over to the rabbit and, with the use of the Force, quieted down the animal. He reached down and picked it up.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Good choice."

*** *** ***

After some time spent travelling, the pair of dark-cloaked figures reached the larger town. The militia was mobilized, and watchtowers were everywhere.

"Find us an entry point, Drake."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice continued to hold the rabbit.

"Is that really necessary?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Unless you plan to stand here and defeat the militia without putting hand to sword, then yes, it's necessary. Ah...too late."

One of the sentries had noticed them; a horn was blown, and the sentry fired down from his tower. A longbow's arrow zipped into the ground between the Sith.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake shifted the rabbit so he was holding it in one hand. He drew his sword in time to deflect a second arrow that had been fired.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Let's see you take out that sentry. Use something besides Shadow."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake entered the mind of the sentry that stood atop the tower. He searched for the central nodule that controlled all the others. This search did not take long. It was quite apparent which nodule was the correct one. The Sith Apprentice crushed the nodule forcefully and the sentry dropped, lifeless before hitting the ground.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Efficient yet time-consuming," Je'gan judged. "Just rip into whatever nodules come your way; it'll take less time than hunting for Central. There; the next tower over. Try it out."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake grudgingly accepted the Sith Knight's criticism and focused on his new target. He allowed his mind to become flooded with hatred as he savagely entered the mind of the second soldier. Following Olra'en's instructions, the Sith Apprentice tore at whatever nocules he could find. This worked much more efficiently then his previous attempt. The second soldier slumped over lifelessly, however, much sooner then the previous.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Good, good. All in all, a perfect transition from the precision of surgery to the efficacity of mindripping."

More and more had become alerted to their presence. Arrows began to fly, and the two Sith hurried at Force-enhanced speed into the dense copse beside them. Letting that copse stand had been a terrible mistake on the part of whoever had planned the town's defence. It offered perfect cover.

Now they crouched behind a thicket of small shrubs. Unless they want to burn us out, Shule judged telepathically, passing his thoughts on to Drake, they'll have to come in after us. Should we stay together, or spread out?

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake crouched beside the Sith Knight. He used the Force to quiet down the rabbit still in his hands. It had become excited with all the commotion. The Sith Apprentice would have to take extra precaution to ensure the safety of the animal. This in turn would diminish the capacity to fight at the best of his ability. He would have to be extra sharp.

[b]It's up to your judgement."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Pleased at how fast Drake was picking up mentalics, Shule overrode his more or less constant irritation with his Apprentice. This was, he told himself firmly, a teaching opportunity.

His eyes bored into Drake's. We stay together and guard each other's backs. And I asked you for a reason, Drake. When I tell you to do something, it's important that you do it. Choosing a strategy is important. Don't let it happen again.

His head snapped to the side; the sounds of footfalls, however well masked, weren't quiet enough to escape detection. Yet the soldiers weren't in sight yet.

Reach out and sense them, Drake. Tell me how many there are. Look for differences between their minds.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Reaching out with the Force, the Sith Apprentice searched the surrounding area. He attempted to figure how many soldiers were coming towards their location. Drake sensed the approaching soldiers and could tell that there was quite a few of them. It took him a few more moments to know the exact amount.

[b]12.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Twelve, yes. Twelve and an animal. Find me that animal and plant aggression into its brain. Make it attack its handlers.

Judging by the sounds, Drake should have just enough time to do that before the soldiers entered sight. In the meantime, unbeknownst to his apprentice, Shule cast an illusion of invisibility over the both of them.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

The Sith Apprentice sensed the animal on his second sweep of the area, he had missed it on his first. Drake called up aggression and projected it into the mind of the beat. A loud roar broke the pervasive silence and commotion could be heard from where the 2 Sith were crouching. The sound of a human screaming followed the noise made by the animal.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Well done. So much so, in fact, that later today we'll work on influencing sentient minds.

The soldiers, or so he heard, resorted to a series of swishing blows that soon quieted the animal. They had to have been executed with the flat of a sword rather than the edge, though; the beast stampeded into sight, coming right for the two Sith. About waist-high, it had a long, thin muzzle and a fluffy tail. He searched his memory even as he made its skull explode: wolf, that was it.

The soldiers charged. Two ranks of six, no tactical sense at all.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake secured the rabbit tightly under his left arm. He would have to rely on only his sword arm to stay alive.

Fools. The word echoed repeatedly in the mind of the Sith Apprentice. If the sodliers weren't intent on kiling the 2 Sith, their attack would be almost amusing.

Drake swiftly pulled his sword from its sheath. He crouched down into a defensive stance and waited for the charge to meet him. The foremost attacker brought his sword down in a vicious slash. Drake parried, force dthe soldier's sword to the side, and ran him through. He pulled his sword free. The soldier crumpled to the ground.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Twelve on one was not impossible, especially with such fantastic incompetance on the part of the twelve. Or rather...eleven. Drake was doing well.

Shule's slim blade flickered out in parry after parry, always riposting in a fencing style far different from the technique that Drake was employing. Three had already gone down at the Knight's hands - one of those literal, a warding-off with the blade corresponding to a spear-hand through the throat. Quick mindrips took out two more at his back, and he flung his sword to skewer another. A long blade whistled over his head as he ducked and called the rapier back before a second strike could be launched. That made seven dead, with the rest focusing on - surprise, surprise - Drake. The Apprentice was handling himself ably, even if he was collecting a few new scars.

Shule's voice echoed in his head: Use your lightsaber!

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake heard the Sith Knight inside his head and wondered exactely how he was to employ the use of his lightsaber when he was fighting off 5 soldiers. An idea formed itself quickly inside the mind of the Sith Apprentice and decided to go with it. Forcing back the 5 soldiers with a forward lung, he stepped back quickly before they could renew their attack. He reversed the grip on his sword and flung it forward. The blade buried itself into the chest of a soldier as he was about to charge.

Swiftly the Sith Apprentice extracted his lightsaber and ignited it in one motion. The remaining soldiers hesitated for a second and then ran at him again. He sidestepped the first and sliced him in half. Drake did a half spin and brought his saber up, it cut through a soldier's sword and continued on to decapitate him. The two remaining soldiers, in a last ditch effort, attempted to turn and flee.

Drake mind ripped them both and they fell dead only feet from each other. The Sith Apprentice breathed out slowly and retracted his lightsaber.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Perfect!" Shule said exultantly. "Utterly perfect! I couldn't have done it better myself!" Well, he could have, but only fractionally. A top-level performance in all respects.

"Now, though," he continued, "we need a prisoner."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake began the task of locating a soldier that was not dead yet. He searched the area for any life force other then their own. Within moments, the Sith Apprentice, picked up a faint life force from one of the soldiers on the ground. It took him a moment more to figure out which one it was. He walked over to the soldier and stared down at him. The man was indeed still alive.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Shule joined him, crouching beside the wounded man. "Reach into his mind," he stated emphatically. "Find self-control and dampen it."

As the task would take a while, he set himself to keeping a mental eye on their surroundings, and whatever was left of the village's militia.

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake searched inside the mind of the wounded soldier. He located the self-control and free will part of the mans mind. What came next was the difficult part. The Sith Apprentice slowly began to try and loosen the self-control of the soldier. This was a painstakingly slow process for Drake. It was his first attempt at mind control.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Just dampen the node," he advised. "Otherwise it leaves 'scars'."

After some time - undisturbed, thankfully - he judged the effect sufficient. "Now implant a command into his mind. It's like putting aggression in that animal. Simple enough."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake, deep in concentration, made no indication that he had heard the Sith Knight. He though of a command he could give to the wounded soldier. The Sith Apprentice urged the man to raise his left hand. Repeatedly he issued the command into the mind of the soldier. Slowly, the mans hand rose from the ground.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Very good. Now command him to kill himself, and we'll be on our way."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Again, Drake made no acknowledgment that he had heard the Sith Knight. He simply went about following his orders. Mentally, the Sith Apprentice instructed the soldier to take his sword and slash his own throat. It took quite a bit of effort to make the wounded man comply. Slowly he took hold of his sword and brought it to his throat. With a swift motion, he cut through and fell instantly limp. His head lolled to the side.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He nodded.

"Let's go, then. We're done here."

*** *** ***

The freighter climbed skyward under autopilot, shedding light and plumes of disturbed air. In the cockpit, Shule turned to his Apprentice.

"I'm taking you back to Corellia for now, Drake. Don't be surprised, though, if you don't hear from me for a couple of weeks. When you do hear from me, though, I'd like you to come to a world called Varunda Nine in the Outer Rim. It's a jungle world, so pack smart, and don't worry if you can't understand a word the natives say."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake gave the Sith Knight a small nod. He would use those few weeks well. Every day would be dedicated to improving his skills.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"And don't forget your lightsaber," he concluded. "That, and a few other, smaller things, are all that's keeping you from Knighthood."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Surprise flickered briefly on the face of the Sith Apprentice. He had not realized that he had progressed so far. His hardwork was indeed paying off and much sooner than anticipated.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"In fact, I really wasn't much farther along than you when Southstar put me up for promotion." He grinned. "And I was just as surprised as you are now. Looking back, I'm not sure I was entirely ready, so that's why I'm going to be taking the time over the next few months to make sure you're one hundred percent prepared." He settled back further, looking out the cockpit as the stars became clear. "Lightsaber, some more concrete physical enhancement, and a few more tricks to do with Shadow. Other than that, it's just all-around improvement until I figure you're as good as I was then."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

After his initial reaction, the Sith Apprentice betrayed nothing further of how he felt. This was one of the few instances that Drake had ever felt a sense of graciousness towards the Sith Knight. His steadfast dedication to one day becoming a full Sith was now within reach and he was going to sieze it by any means necessary.

"Thank you, Master Olra'en."

To an individual that did not know the Sith Apprentice, this simple phrase would not appear out of the ordinary. In this instance, however, Olra'en knew Drake perhaps more then anyone had in a long time.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Je'gan smiled quietly. Memories, not too distant, of holding a similar conversation with his own Master - one of them, Southstar to be precise - flooded back in a pleasant rush.

"What are your plans after that?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

Drake wasted no time before his reply.

"I shall continue improving my skills, of course. Perhaps take on a few Apprentices, if any will have me."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Will that be your only contribution to the Order, then?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"I will do whatever the Sith require of me."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"A good start...what about initiative?"

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"Perhaps. It would be more beneficial for the Order to appoint something and an objective along with it."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"The Elders are busy...and the Order has no real command structure. You are a Sith."

[Drake Shadowstalker]

"If that is the case then such initiative will be required on my part. However, I don't intend to overdo it."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Good."

~FIN :P